Title: Forbidden Fruit – Chapter 4

Authors: Lamb

Pairing: Edward/Bella, all canon.

Rating: M (for future chapters)

Summary: Not wanting to intrude on her mother's new-found marital bliss, Bella Swan moves back to her hometown of Forks to live with her father and brother. But what happens when the brother she never knew turns out to be everything she wanted? All-Human/Alternate Universe.


"Edward is staring at you," Alice murmured, elbowing me in the arm.

Edward was staring at me? Surely I had to be mishearing what she had said. Edward made a point of avoiding me at school and at home aside from the car ride to school and back for the last two weeks. Was there an Edward I hadn't met before?

I furrowed my brow, glancing toward the table I'd usually locate my brother sitting at with Rosalie and Emmett, and found that he was indeed staring at me. His expression was a mix of curiosity and annoyance and I couldn't help but glare back at him, mouthing an angry 'what?!' in his direction.

He looked away.

Alice just snickered, rolling her eyes as she took another sip of her iced tea, but my focus was still on Edward. My brother had all but avoided me entirely in the last two weeks – he'd barely talk to me in the car, at home… it was frustrating.

"Siblings," Alice snorted. "You're lucky you have a brother."

She snapped me back to reality as she nudged me again, a little too hard as always, and pointed toward a group of girls across from us. I hadn't officially met Alice's sister, but I knew that she was just a few years younger than we were and her name was Cynthia. She looked a lot like Alice in regards to her small, refined features, but her body was different; whereas Alice had been petite and thin, Cynthia was taller with broad shoulders, as if her body and face didn't quite belong together.

"At least you don't have to worry about Edward stealing your favorite sweater."

I laughed, giving her a sympathetic look. "No, that's definitely not something I have to worry about. But if it were, you'd be the first to know."

Alice giggled musically and twisted the cap back on her drink. I liked Alice, I really did. She was someone to joke with and there was no worrying about whether or not she was using me to get closer to Edward like some of the girls seemed to be interested in. She was also the only person I really had to talk to about the way Edward had been acting recently. His unapproachable attitude was beginning to grate on my last nerves -- so much so, in fact, that I'd even considered dipping into my college fund to buy my own car just so I didn't have to deal with him more than was already necessary.

There was absolutely no talking to Charlie, and Mom would just tell me to give Edward time; 'he's still adjusting to having a girl around the house, after all.' But his attitude just seemed so uncalled for—the glaring, the cold shoulder… I tried so hard just to get along with him, and the fact that he couldn't be bothered to be nice to me was beyond frustrating.

Though, on the plus side, maybe having my own car would be a good idea.

"Hey," I glanced over at Alice. "What are you doing this weekend?"


Alice and I had made plans to go to La Push during the weekend, and when Saturday rolled around I was thrilled to be getting out of the house. Charlie had a friend who lived on the reservation who was selling a car and I figured I'd go take a look—and possibly buy the damn thing if it ran well enough. Charlie said it was nice enough and even offered to take me down there, but the last thing I wanted to do was be paraded between the Clearwater and Black houses so Charlie could show off how big I'd gotten over the years.

Charlie was cooking eggs when I made it down the stairs and I decided to forego any exciting culinary adventures and stuck with a bowl of cereal. Edward had already finished up his breakfast by the time I got to the table and had quickly found his way to the sofa, flipping idly through the channels.

"Any exciting plans for today, kids?" Charlie inquired, stuffing his mouth full of egg.

I shrugged, clearly not wanting to share my plans. "Not really. Alice is coming to get me."

"Alice… the Brandon girl?" he glowered unpleasantly. "You be careful. She's got that damn boyfriend, and I don't want to say the girl is guilty by association, but…"

Charlie cut himself off, clearly not wanting to get into it for God knows what reason. I shook it off as secondhand gossip; Charlie was the chief of police and he always had nosy people gossiping to him. Frankly, I'd never met Jasper, but he seemed nice enough from what Alice had told me about him.

"Anyway," he sighed, changing the subject. "What about you, boy?"

"I'll probably head up to see the Cullens," he shrugged, slumping into his seat.

"Ah, well… tell Mrs. Cullen I said thanks for those cookies, and say 'hi' for me. As for me, I've got some paperwork to take care of at the station, and then I'm meeting up with Harry Clearwater for a few drinks… I'll be back late, I'm sure." Charlie smirked, grabbed his plate, and headed toward the kitchen.

I finished up my bowl of cereal and went into the kitchen to help Charlie with the dishes so he could finish getting dressed. When he finally left I'd noticed it was already 9 am and I still hadn't heard from Alice. I was beginning to get worried; she was supposed to be here before 10 am.

As 9:45 am rolled around, I finally picked up the phone and called her.

"Yeah?" a masculine voice answered.

I hesitated for a moment. "Uh, yeah, hi. Is Alice there?"

I could hear muffled talking, but couldn't make out what was being said before I heard the phone being handed over. Alice's voice was cheerful as always.

"Hi, Bella! What's going o—oh. Oh, no," her tone quickly changed. "It's Saturday, isn't it? We had plans… Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm with Jasper right now. He's not feeling very well."

"Oh… I see, well… um, don't worry about it, alright? We'll do it another time. I hope your boyfriend feels better soon… I'll see you at school on Monday?"

I tried my best to stay calm but I wanted to cry. Whenever I was frustrated or angry, my first instinct is always to cry. I shouldn't be angry with her and I really wasn't, but I had gotten my hopes up and I shouldn't have to rely on other people all the time. I hated having to hitch rides and depend on other people's schedules. I said goodbye to Alice and hung up the phone, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Well, there go all of my exciting plans for the day…" I mumbled, standing up and sliding my chair back in.

Edward was still slumped against the sofa when I headed back toward the living room, blankly staring at the television. I stared for a moment, then turned on my heel and headed for the stairs instead. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with Edward today.

"So, what… did you need a ride somewhere?"

Edward's voice was distracted, and I wondered if he hadn't realized he wasn't talking to himself. But when I turned back around to look at him, he had turned away from the television and was staring up at me curiously.

"Yeah, but," I began, a bit unsure. "Alice's boyfriend is sick, and well, we'll just go another week, I guess. No big deal, I'll just do some laundry today."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I was offering, Bella… God, you're dense."

Oh, now he was insulting me? I glared at him and started back up the stairs. There was absolutely no reason for him to be a jerk, but he just continued.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really was offering, though. I was just going to meet Emmett over at Dr. Cullen's house and it's not like I have any certain time I'm supposed to be there. I can sort of show up anytime, really… so if you'd like a ride…"

I leaned against the railing and stared down at him, eyebrow raised. Was my brother actually being nice for a change? I was growing oh-so-used to his little attitude and wasn't exactly sure how I felt about this.

"You're offering me a ride," I said, still suspicious. "Like… you're going to drive me somewhere."

"Yeah, that was sort of the plan… if you'd like, of course."

I took a moment to think, biting the inside of my lip before nodding my head. If anything, I figured that I was doing him a favor—if I bought this car, I'd be out of his hair. No more driving me to school, no more driving me to the library, no more waiting around for me. Still, I couldn't help but feel suspicious.


Edward and I drove out to La Push in near silence. Occasionally, he'd glance at me like he wanted to talk to me, but clearly neither of us wanted to start the conversation. When we made it to Billy Black's house, Edward jumped out of the car first and dashed around to open my door for me.

"Your mood swings are really starting to bother me, you know," I scoffed.

Edward gave me a sheepish look. "I'm just being nice."

I vaguely remembered Billy Black from my summers in Forks, but my memories of him were blurred. I remember spending all my time with his daughters, whereas Edward fished with Charlie and Billy or would be sitting in the kitchen with his wife, helping her cook.

Just ahead was a large shed, which I assumed they used as a garage. A group of boys were sitting around while one of them tinkered with an old car. The boy peeked around from the hood curiously.

"Jacob," Edward called, putting his hand up.

The boy waved back and headed around the car to greet us. He walked slowly, wiping his hands off on his pants. He was much taller than he appeared from afar, even taller than Edward.

"Hey, Ed— whoa! You're Isabella?" Jacob glanced down at me curiously.

"Y-yeah, I mean, Bella… how did you know? Do I know you?"

The boy smiled, putting his hand out for me. "You don't remember me? I should be a little insulted… we used to make mud-pies as kids—you, me, my sisters? Dad said you were moving back… but I don't know, I figured Ed brought some girl here or something… you know, you know."

"I don't do that, Jake. And don't offer Bella any, either. You don't need to get her in trouble with the chief—you don't need to get in trouble." Edward glared; obviously I was missing the point.

Jacob snorted, rolling his eyes. "I don't touch the stuff; Sam is the one who sells, anyway."

I glanced over toward the group of boys and couldn't help but wonder which one was Sam—and exactly what Sam was selling. Jacob snapped me back into reality.

"You really don't remember me? You were the first girl I ever kissed, you know."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yeah, when you were, like, three. Get over it."

"Whatever, dude," Jacob snapped. "At least I've kissed a girl."

Edward just rolled his eyes again. It was more than apparent that Edward didn't really care for Jacob; he seemed so playful and happy, the complete opposite of my brother. I just smiled at him while he teased Edward; it was nice to see someone get him back for a change.

"What can I do for you guys? Do you want something to drink?"

Edward shook his head. "No, we're actually here about the car your dad was selling."

"Becca's car? Dude, we sold that fucker two days ago. You should have called—that guy got a great deal… $1200 for her little Toyota? That car wasn't even that old."

I sighed—clearly this wasn't my day. Edward glanced over at me and gave a sympathetic frown, nudging me gently.

"Alright, we'll be out of your way then…" Edward sighed, turning back towards the car.

Jacob took a moment to think, and then grabbed my hand. "Wait! I didn't say that was the only car we were selling… I've been fixing up dad's old truck; do you want to take a look?"

Jacob led me back toward the shed with Edward quickly following behind us. Jake's hand never left mine once, squeezing softly as he pulled me toward a dusty red truck. The thing looked like a beast—big, intimidating, and solid—the sort of car that would demolish that little Toyota I missed out on.

I liked it.

And Jacob could tell, popping the door open and sliding in as he gave me a brief history on it. It was older – made in the early fifties -- and had belonged to Billy for about twenty years. Jacob was fixing it up to sell and he'd be able to use the money he made on the truck to buy parts for a car he was rebuilding for himself.

"It won't be ready any time soon," he sulked. "But… I could probably have it ready for you in a week or two if I worked on it every night. I'll get it all cleaned up for you too, and I'll give you a great price on it. Consider it some sort of… pretty girl discount. What do you say?"

"How great of a price?" I asked curiously.

"How does $1300 sound? Dad got a new engine for it a few years ago; I'm just tuning it up and I'll be your permanent mechanic. Cheap labor, Bella -- think about it."

I glanced over at Edward, who just shrugged his shoulders and took a moment to ponder it over for a minute. I liked the truck, and Jacob obviously knew what he was doing if he was fixing up a car for himself. What did I really have to lose other than the money and the two week wait?

Jacob and I exchanged numbers and he said he'd give me a call as soon as he was finished up with the truck. We said our goodbyes, and Jacob walked Edward and I back to the car, smirking at me devilishly as he reminded me that he had my number and would do 'as he'd like' with it. I just rolled my eyes.

"See you, Bella. It was nice seeing you," he smiled.

"You too, Jake," I agreed, waving out the window at him. "Don't break my truck!"

I'd barely been able to finish my sentence before Edward was revving the engine, quickly pulling out of the driveway and back onto the road, mumbling indistinctly to himself. I didn't bother asking him what was wrong; I could tell that Jacob was the source of his frustration as he glared.

"You didn't have to take me, you know…" I muttered, pulling my seatbelt on.

"I didn't realize I would have to deal with Pothead Black and his stoner friends—I could smell the damn pot as soon as I got out of the car and on top of all of that? He was hitting on you."

"Hitting on me? Wow, all he did was call me pretty."

"He called you pretty, he grabbed your hand, and he acted like he had some nefarious plans for your cell phone number. I wouldn't be surprised if he calls you tonight."

I stared at Edward intently, trying to make sense of this argument. Since when did he even care if some boy I barely knew hit on me? Even Charlie wouldn't make a big deal about this and he's my father. I glared at him, my tone harsh.

"Since when do you care about what I do and don't do?"

"Jeez, Bella, I don't know! Was it when you decided to start hanging out with Alice Brandon, the school drug dealer? Or was it when you just gave your cell phone number to Jacob—fucking—Black?"

Edward stepped on the brake, pulling off on the side of the road and cut the engine. If he was mad, I was livid. How low, how absolutely low—he could care less about me any other time and suddenly every choice I made was wrong?

"Dragging Alice into this, of all people? Really, Edward?"

He swallowed hard, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Alice's boyfriend Jasper is a drug dealer. I wouldn't be surprised if he was getting her to sell for him at the school—wonder why you haven't met him yet? That's why. So excuse me for being concerned about my little sister."

I wondered how much of this was true, how he knew this, and if it was just more gossip he'd heard from Charlie, but I was too angry to even begin to process my thoughts. Edward sighed, slumping against the steering wheel.

"I've been a complete jerk to you," he began. "I know I have; I'm not oblivious and I'm not going out of my way to be a jackass to you, but right now all I can do is think that if I turn my back for two seconds you're going to do something stupid and get yourself in trouble."

"I'm completely capable of taking care of myself, Edward."

He sighed again. "I know that, I'm not stupid either."

My head was throbbing now. I felt a mix of anger and confusion and before I knew it I was crying. Today had been too long, too awful, too frustrating. Edward turned his head, looking over at me sadly, and quickly pulled me into his arms, burying his face into my hair. I could hardly breathe—he was making this better and worse at the same time. Worse because I just felt more and more confused, and better because it felt good; it felt nice to think like he actually cared about me.

We sat there in silence for what felt like hours before Edward finally pulled himself away from me, wiping my tears with the sleeve of his jacket before settling back into the seat. Another minute passed and he finally started the engine, turning back onto the road.

He kept his eyes on the road, the familiar silence settling back in.